Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to golf clubs, and more particularly to putters which are used in the game of golf to strike the ball along the surface of a green.
B. Description of the Related Art
Golf is generally played on courses having eighteen or nine holes having xe2x80x9cteesxe2x80x9d at one end of the hole from which a ball is initially struck by a player and a green provided with a hole therein at the alternate end. The tee and the green are separated by a fairway and the general principle behind the game of golf is to deposit the ball in the hole on the green with as few strikes of the ball as possible.
Putters are typically used on the greens and on the fringes surround the greens to strike the golf ball towards the hole with the aim of depositing the ball in said hole. The hole is only of the order of 12 centimeters in diameter and when it is considered that putts, which term is commonly used to describe the strokes taken with a putter, may often be in excess of 12 meters (40 feet), it will be understood that great accuracy is required to ensure that the resulting position of the ball after the stroke is at least proximate if not within the hole. In general, the distance of the ball from the hole is proportional to the likelihood that the putt will be missed, i.e. further putts will be required to deposit the ball in the hole.
It is well known in the game of golf that a significant element of the professional game is centred on putting, and poor putters of the ball rarely achieve results. Indeed the difference between the scorecards of players with equal xe2x80x9ctee to greenxe2x80x9d ability, but different putting ability is immediately evident.
It is surprising that there are currently relatively few putting training devices available, especially when it is considered that putting is such an essential element of the game. One device which is available, but adapted for conventionally indoor use, consists of a plastic tray provided with a U-shaped inclined channel which narrows along its length, one end of the channel being closed off and located substantially centrally and above the base of the device, the alternate end being open and wide enough to receive a regulation-sized golf ball. The channel is typically integrally moulded into the device such that, on placing the device on a carpet or the like, the wider open end of the channel coincides with the periphery of the device to create a sharp lower edge which rests on the said carpet. The channel is inclined upwardly from the wider open end to the closed off end which is within the body of the device. Also within the device there is provided a battery powered ejector mechanism.
In use the device is placed on a carpet, and a user wishing to practice his putting stands some distance away from the device and putts balls towards the device, which is disposed with the wider open end of the channel facing towards the user. The provision of a sharp lower edge of the channel which rests on the carpet facilitates the passage of a ball accurately struck along the said carpet by the user into the channel and towards the closed off end thereof provided in the device. A ball struck by a putter with the correct weight and accuracy of direction towards the device will locate itself in the closed end of the channel, which is provided with a slight recess and moulded to the spherical shape of a golf ball. The battery powered ejector mechanism then detects the presence of a ball in the closed end of the channel and ejects same back down the inclined channel towards the putter who can again attempt to putt the ball with said correct weight and direction. It can be appreciated that a good putter of the ball will be capable of repeatedly striking the ball such that it is received by the narrowing channel and located in the recess at the closed end thereof.
The primary and pervasive disadvantage of such training devices is that they do not address any of the often numerous imperfections in the putting stroke of the player. In order to strike a golf ball with a putter directionally accurately, a smooth unerring swing is required. In particular, it is generally believed that the arc along which the putter head travels as it is taken away from the stationary ball during the xe2x80x9cbackswing,xe2x80x9d the arc which the putter head follows as it is returned to the ball to strike same, and the arc followed thereby after the ball has been struck, i.e. follow through, are to be part of the same imaginary circle whose centre is approximately between the shoulders of the golfer. Furthermore, the diameter of said circle in the direction which it is desired to strike the ball must be parallel to the plane containing the legs of the player. If this were not the case, the putting stroke of the player would either slice the ball at impact from above when viewed from above, or would push the ball from below. In any event, an undesirable component of velocity would be imparted to the ball at impact with the face. The only component of velocity ideally imparted to the ball at impact is in the desired striking direction. In this case the ball simply rolls in the direction in which it was struck.
It is an object of this invention to provide a putting device which allows a player to analyse whether he is imparting any undesirable velocity components to the ball at impact.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a putter which does not infringe current regulations concerning putter configurations and which can therefore be used in competition.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a putter which can be used in a variety of different ways to immediately indicate the accuracy of the putting stroke of a player.
It is a yet further object of the invention to provide a putter which when used in training, enables a user to xe2x80x9cgroovexe2x80x9d his putting stroke by ensuring that the arcuate rotational travel of the putter head conforms to the theoretical optimum described above, in particular by conforming the backswing and follow through of the player to the optimum described before and after impact respectively.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a training device which defocusses the mind of the user on the actual point of impact, and increases the concentration of that user on the particular arc of swing during the stroke.
According to the present invention there is provided a putter comprising a head with at least one striking face, a rear face or edge and side faces or edges, any of which may be curved, said edges or faces defining a putter body of a predetermined thickness, a shaft being optionally attached to said head, said head having at least one further arcuate face or edge or further planar faces or edges defining a recess between the side faces or edges and throughout the thickness of the body, wherein the recess defined by said further faces or edges is adapted to receive a conventional golf ball behind the striking face of the putter and restrict the movement thereof in a direction parallel to the striking face when the said ball is in contact with the said further faces or edges during the swinging of the putter by a user.
It is to be pointed out that the shaft does not comprise a feature of the invention, and accordingly the invention provides a putter head as described above.
In a first embodiment of the invention the recess opens to the rear face or edge of the putter, and in a second alternative embodiment, the recess is closed to form an aperture within the body of the putter. Preferably the aperture is circular and of a diameter marginally greater than the diameter of a conventional golf ball.
Preferably, the recess of the first embodiment is defined at least on two sides by the further faces or edges within the body, the separation of the faces or edges being marginally greater than the diameter of a conventional golf ball.
In the former embodiment, the further faces or edges are preferably substantially parallel and perpendicular to the striking face. Further preferably said further faces or edges are provided substantially equidistantly from the centre of the striking face, and accordingly can have the additional function of alignment means.
In any event the head of the putter is preferably provided with additional alignment means which allow the user of the putter to position the striking face squarely to the desired direction of travel of the ball after striking thereof.
Preferably additional weighting elements are provided in the body of the putter head on either side of the recess to provide a balanced xe2x80x9ctoe/heelxe2x80x9d weight distribution. The toe and the heel of the putter head are those regions towards the extremities of the striking face and providing such a weight distribution across the striking face reduces the twisting moment imparted to the putter head on impact with the ball when the point of impact is displaced from the centre of the striking face.
Preferably the putter head is a xe2x80x9cmalletxe2x80x9d type putter head.
According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided an attachment for a putter head capable of being attached thereto by any suitable means, said attachment having an attachment location and at least one arcuate face or edge or further planar faces or edges defining a recess therebetween, said recess being defined behind the putter head, wherein the recess is adapted to receive a conventional golf ball and restrict the movement thereof in a direction parallel to the striking face when the said ball is in contact with the said faces or edges during the swinging of the putter by a user.
Preferably the attachment is provided with an arcuate hoop behind the attachment location, the edges or faces defining same having a separation which is marginally greater than that of the diameter of a conventional golf ball.
In an alternative embodiment, the attachment may be provided with a pair of spaced limbs extending substantially parallel and rearwardly of the attachment location, the separation of said limbs being marginally greater than the diameter of a conventional golf ball.
Preferably the attachment means ensures uniform and repeatable attachment to the said putter head.
Preferably the putter conforms to the regulations concerning putters of the Royal and Ancient (RandA) Golf Association. In this case the putter of the present invention can be used in competitions. Other training devices are either impossible to use in competition or do not conform to the regulations of the RandA. Henceforth the uniformity of putting stroke acquired during training is not immediately lost once playing on the golf course, as is so often the case with current training means employed by golf professionals.
Preferably, in the case where an aperture in the putter head throughout the thickness thereof is defined by the said further faces or edges, said aperture is substantially centrally located of the putter head body considered as a whole. However, different locations of the aperture may be provided depending on personal choice.
Regardless of the position of the aperture, a heel-to-toe weight distribution will automatically be achieved because the removal of matter from the body head in the manner described automatically increase the relative weights towards the extremities of the striking face.
It has been postulated that a larger sweet spot (that area of the sulking face which when impacted causes resonant dynamics within the body of the putter head) can be achieved if the aperture is provided towards the rear of the putter head body. Experimentation may define the precise location of the said aperture to give rise to the largest sweet spot.